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IP address and security/privacy issues

Questions concerning my IP address: does this address get sent with all internet sites I am looking at?
can this address be blocked or covered from anyone else seeing it?
how difficult is it for the" law" to get permission to "bug " my address?
if I am using more than one computer(networked) ,is the address the same for each machine if they are on one DSL line?
I have heard of ghost programs,,,,,, do these work and how?

Yes, think of it as a return address on an envelope. If you send something out without one, how could they respond to you.

can this address be blocked or covered from anyone else seeing it?

You could use a proxy, so that the last destination doesn't see your address, but instead sees the proxies address. The proxy will still have your address though.

if I am using more than one computer(networked) ,is the address the same for each machine if they are on one DSL line?

If you're behind a NAT'd router, then they will all have the same external IP address

I have heard of ghost programs,,,,,, do these work and how?

Ghost is a program used to duplicate HDs, and doesn't really apply here so I figure you have your terms mixed up. Maybe you're refering to a proxy? This works by sending requests to an intermediary who in turn makes your requests in its own name and then sends you back the data. To the end node it seems like the proxy is talking to it, when in fact you're talking to it through the proxy.

When you load the website, you send a request to the web server with your address in it, and it in return sends you the data back. So, if this what you mean by viewing a web page then yes. If you meant while you read through it on the screen then no, there is no data being transfered.

That being said you asked if your address was available, and that all together is a different question. You're machine is always available when it is online. Whether it responds to things that are sent to it is a different story though. A firewall would be a good way to prevent this type of fear.

Hopefully this helps your understand out, and in general there isn't a lot to be worried about. Most attacks that happen on the internet aren't directed at a specific person anyway, so the knowledge of your IP isn't a big deal. Now, if you're doing something wrong and are trying to hide yourself, then my suggestion would be to stop doing wrong stuff.

come on now man, why are you spying on the ex?? Unless you have her permission to view her email, I would suspect this to be invasion of privacy. I am pretty sure that if she found out you were reading her mail, she would be within her legal rights to sue you for invasion of privacy. So when you ask how wrong it is to read your ex girlfriend's email without her permission, I would say illegal (and kinda lame). Just don't let her find out =\

[EDIT]
I'm gonna give you AntiPoints for having the balls to ask if it is ok to read your ex-girlfriend's email
[/EDIT]

An ancient chinese man once told me: \"The hotter the tea, the bigger the wang.\"